Bits of Fire
by Mesu
Summary: My version of So The Drama. Kim and Eric start their doomed dance, and things are different than the movie. Bound to have a couple new tidbits that might not have been in the original story line!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I remember my life before evil finally caught up with me. You have to lose sometimes. Maybe it was just Drakken's turn to win. Let's face it, I knew it would happen someday. Before I realized my happiness was a lie. Before that monster walked into my life. He spun lies and ruined my life. I had brothers; annoying brothers, but they were my family! They knew me well enough to get to me. I had parents who made me what I am today… Or at least what I was, or even what is about to die. Wasn't that enough for me? Now I would never see any of them again. It was perfect, I can see that now. Why did I ever complain? I can't help but think pitiful thoughts as I hang from a retired Beuno Nacho sign. The binding ropes pull at my experimental suit, the high-tech fabric chaffing on my chest. Ron hangs next to me, his body obviously tired. I know how defeated he feels tenfold.

"So? What's the plan?" Ron asks, his head perking up a little. He always relies on me, and now, when I failed myself, I have to fail him too. I choke back a wretched sob as I prepare to say something I would never dream of. At least, not when everything was perfect….

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"Monique, you were totally right!" I said as we started our walk to Middleton High.

"I know" She said, self assured. Then she paused, "What was I right about?"

"The Bonnie problem." I said casually. I don't even know why it was a problem in the first place. You know things are bad when you start listening to Bonnie Rockweller. Honestly, she has the relationship intelligence of a rock. Or… maybe that's Brick. Come to think of it, those two were made for each other. "It's not an issue. Who cares about the 'food chain'? Ron and I are cool." I said. Friends since Pre K. No stuck up cheerleader out for blood will change that.

"Stand by your Ron." Monique laughed as we turned the corner.

"I mean he's—" I started. But the putputput of Ron's fixer- upper moped interrupted me as we caught up to him cruising on the road. I saw Rufus lounging in the basket on the handlebars eating what appeared to be a left over nacho. Ron beamed at us as the wind barely ruffled his mess of blond hair.

"Full of childlike wonder." I laughed. We passed up Ron and his scooter easily as we continued down the sidewalk to school. I waved to him and he gave me the thumbs up, eager to finish his ride.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

I pulled my motorcycle into an available spot at the Middleton high school. I was clearly cutting Ron Stoppable, Target Number Two, off. This was my in. I sat on my new bike, letting the engine rumble on. Father had wanted to buy me a yellow one, but I chose red. I picked it because it looked like fire as I raced it around the lair track in Nevada. He thought it was because it matched the new uniforms he ordered to fit his syntho-drones. 'Can't you tell they are burgundy Shego? Much more 'in' than the cherry uniforms I gave the henchman!' I was remembering Father's hysterical rantings when Ron Stoppable started screaming at me from behind.

"Do you mind?" He squawked. I let my engine rumble on, trying to get back to the memory of Father. "Dude? Dude? Do you mind?" he continued yelling. I snapped my matching burgundy helmet visor open and turned my head around to face a crucial part of Father's plan.

"What?" I snapped. Why of all people did I have to befriend him? This I was annoyed about. But Target Number One, that was what truly scared me.

"Spot. Mine. You. In it!" Ron continued. This wasn't how people talked in the outside world was it? I mean I know I was isolated in lair after lair for 16 years but the basic English language didn't vary that much in such a small town like this did it? I went for broke and spoke with my normal grammar patterns as I responded.

"Oh, dude, man, I'm sorry. I didn't even see you." I said. Had I said the correct slang? Father would be so upset with me if I blow my cover on something so well practiced as slang. "You know, this might sound weird, but sometimes when it's just me and my machine I—" I said, improvising. I had only driven this bike several times around Las Vegas when Father was conducting business somewhere at a place called The Bermuda Triangle. But I really did feel the world slip away when I rode it in the dessert. I felt like an actual person… not something created.

"And the blacktop! Yes! I know exactly what you are talking about!" He exclaimed, his arms shooting up uncontrollably. He did? Maybe pretending to be his friend would be easier than Father made it out to be.

I'm Ron, Ron Stoppable!" Oh, I know, more than you could even imagine.

"Hey," I said, shaking his outstretched hand, "I'm Eric."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Eric, my compadre, you don't know how lucky you are that you ran into Ron Stoppable." Ron said to me, walking with me in my first steps in Middleton High School. It had little to do with luck, I thought. The floors were plain gray carpet in the front entry and the walls were an odd orange. Small trophies lined several glass cases on the walls around us, and I could see some students sitting on the fake leather benches by the stairs reading. I was hoping for marble entry ways and ivy growing on brownstone annexes, with ancient towers and cobblestone pathways. I was most certainly not pleased to have landed in upper middle class.

"I know everything about everything around here." He rambled on. I doubted that. He sat himself atop the plaster banister on the stairs.

"Great! Do you know where I can pick up my class schedule?" I asked, toying with him. A blush rose in his cheeks and he fell of the banister.

"Yeah… I'm not a nuts and bolts guy, I'm more big picture." He said, leading me on to a hallway. Not that it really mattered, I thought, I shouldn't be here long enough for it to make a difference. Grades were a smoke and mirror game here. After I stopped into the main office to pick up my course list Ron pointed out we had several classes together. Highly unlikely that was a coincidence. Our first hour was titled Foods Class. Food? How was food a class? Oh, I rationalized, it was the preparation.

"And this is Home Ec. I have been known to whip up some major snackage in this class." Ron said, signaling me to enter the small classroom. This boy seemed to have an unusual vocabulary. I supposed it was due to the severe amount of normalcy in his life, save for the rescue missions Father has told me about. I figured I would have developed such an informal way of speaking if I was even remotely normal…Being raised evil was not normal. Never living in a house but in monstrous cave structures was not normal. And not being born… that was certainly not in the least bit normal.

"Dude? Hey, Eric!" Ron was holding the door open for me. I shook my head to clear those thoughts from my head for now until I was finally alone and could really contemplate how unfortunate my life was. Oh god… Father's research was really getting to my head, I was starting to sound like a teenage girl. I had no interest in learning to cook, but if it was crucial to the plan so be it. I sat down and began the torture.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

The halls of Middleton High bustled with activity. People rushed to class with books on the verge of slipping through their arms. I looked around the halls I had been roaming for three years. They didn't change at all since the first day of school my freshman year. But now they looked different; more familiar. The constant bland hallway was something I knew would always be there to provide a reality check after a mission. I starred at the blank screen on my computer lodged into my locker. Come on Wade, what's the sitch? Shouldn't there be new info on Drakken? What would he even be doing at the Bermuda Triangle? That was just a simple casino and restaurant. Sure, it was known as the favorite perch for petty white color criminals and upper class scum, but what business did Drakken have there? I couldn't stop kicking myself about letting them get away. How is it that Shego always seemed to know my next roundhouse kick, my next flip? I always get an edge on her but it never lasts long enough to keep her in one place. Suddenly I heard Bonnie's high pitched voice from down the hall. I turned long enough to see her snuggle her head into Brick Flagg's thick neck as he lifted her up for a hug. I contained my vomit, but it hurt just a little to think I would never have that. A couple dates, locked braces, heart ache. Aren't all those things supposed to lead up to teenage relationships? Aren't the mistakes followed by rewards? I looked back at my locker. I had hung clippings of criminal reports, pictures of the bad guys I nab, and a picture of Ron and me in a photo booth to the metal. Is that all I was, a teen hero and Ron's 'just a friend? I mean it's not like I ever asked for this. A typing error was what made me what I am. I wanted to be a babysitter, that's normal. Boys can date a babysitter. But I think the whole 'saves the world every weekend' thing would weird a guy out after a while. And after I had set up basic arch enemies it's not like I could just stop saving the world. Though a break to meet a guy would be really nice… No. Stop it Kim. You can do anything… even get a boyfriend.

"Hey Kim. Tough day?" I heard. I jumped. There Wade was, sitting at home, video calling me from his room.

"Oh, sorry Wade, you scared me… I was just thinking." I said, brushing my hair out of my face.

"About what?" He asked, taking a big swig of his energy drink.

"Trigonometry." I blurted out. That was my last class. But it wasn't what was bothering me… math came easy like everything else. Well… everything except boys and cooking.

"Need some help? You happen to know a certain boy genius. Scan the homework through." He said, ever ready to help.

"No, that's okay. Thanks though Wade."

"Whatever you say. But if you change your mind I hear Ron is still getting 'help' from Nakasumi's associates." Wade chuckled.

"Somehow I doubt he will ever give them up…" I trailed off. Then I realized that Wade was still there. "Wade! What's the sitch?"

"Okay, so get this. I hacked into the Bermuda Triangle security videos. Check this out." He said. He pulled up a video to my screen. I saw a grainy black and white video of Drakken talking closely to a large man with a body guard standing nearby.

"Who is that Wade?"

"His name is Big Daddy Brotherson to the crime world. Real name is Orson Brotherson Gregorivich. He grew up in Ontario, Canada. He knows the low down and dirty secrets of the crime world, and get _this_, rocket science."

"That's weird… What does Drakken want with Big Daddy?" I asked.

"No clue. The videos from the Bermuda Triangle don't include audio."

"Thanks for the update Wade. Beep me if there is anything new."

"Will do Kim."

I sighed, slammed my locker door and headed off to lunch, happy to be done thinking about 'trigonometry' for the day.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

These chairs are uncomfortable. That was the only thought running through my head. I found myself not even listening to the teachers. I had been homeschooled by a tutor all my life, so all of these tedious lessons were just old information. Ron Stoppable had tried to bond with me about his hairless rodent and I let him. It was key to Father's plans. Now the small creature was sitting on my neck taking a nap. I would find it 'cute' if it wasn't disgusting. Rufus's big buck teeth trembled when he snored ever so often. Ron had showed me around the school, guiding me through boring hallway after boring hallway. He thought he knew so much about this puny facility, which was the opposite of the truth. He had pointed out useless rooms and I pretended that it was fascinating. I bet he found it felt nice to have someone hanging on your every word. I was the new kid; I couldn't possibly be higher in high school society than him… yet. The bell rang and Ron walked me out to lunch. I guessed the food would be revolting, as was a typical norm I had heard of public education. I was accustomed to the food of whatever country I was hiding out it. Once, when Father was battling Target Number One, I had been hidden in a Tuscan village. Father had hired an old Italian maid to cook for me and clean the safe house. Now that was real food. Ron was babbling about how the appliances from our first hour class spoke to him when he opened the double doors to the cafeteria. The light was brighter in this room than the almost dim hallways. I shielded my eyes with my hand as we walked in. This might be it. I might meet Target Number One very soon…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"This is the cafeteria, where I am told you can find a nutritious hot meal. I haven't yet, but your mileage may vary." Ron said, handing me a lunch tray. The weak plastic was damp. Disgusting. I looked up to survey the room and my eyes found her like it had been my mission for a lifetime. Or maybe it was in my genetic code to scope out Target Number One. There she was– Kim Possible. Her red hair vibrantly fell to the small of her back. She was wearing a red shirt that clung to her body and dark brown pants. Her face was so slender and I could see even from across the cafeteria her eyes were a bright green. Her lips seemed to pout into a smile. I could not look away. I had seen pictures of Target Number One; thousands of video stills, yearbook pictures, the images of her fighting her foes on her website. But there she was in the flesh, my known mission for a long time, and I didn't feel right. I repeated to myself the words Father told me each day. 'She is your enemy. She will stop at nothing to destroy me and what I desire. Destroy her, follow the plan.' I reiterated the mantra in my mind. But I had to meet her, or else this was all for nothing.

"Who is that?" I asked, trying to fake attraction. Or was it real? I pointed to the girl.

"Oh. Cafeteria lady. Trust me, you cannot get her fired." He said, going back to looking down the lunch line. Why would I want that old woman's job?

"No, the girl." I pointed out.

"Oh that's Kim, Kim Possible."

"Weird name." I said nonchalantly. Did that random comment hurt my chances with forming a bond with Ron, who was close with Target Number One?

"You've never heard of Kim Possible?" He asked. "She frequently saves the world, and I help! You know, almost as frequently." He said. I almost laughed. From what Father told me Target Number Two couldn't forward Kim's efforts if he tried. I have seen video after video of Ron falling over, being de-clothed, somehow being tied to the wall.

"So you know her?"

"Cha, we're tight!" He says enthusiastically. Wait, were these two romantically linked? This would make my job much more difficult.

"Hooked up?" I asked. I hoped not.

"Ew, Kim and me? No! No no no. We've been best friends since you know forever. But not like that, you know she's a—" He said.

"Ah, extreme steam." I said, feeling awkward with this teenage word usage.

"Okay! You know what? Let's not talk about her that way ever again. Kay? Kay." He stated. I had clearly offended him. But it was to get a lot worse if I followed the plan precisely. I tried to back track to maintain this friendly status with him.

"Whatever's clever." I said. God I felt stupid, I hope that didn't transfer into my fake demeanor. While Ron ordered his lunch, I stole a glance at Kim. She sat down with another female and began talking and laughing. Her face fit her smile so well I felt entranced. I supposed this physical attraction I felt to her would help the ploy. Ron received a gellitonous mass of food even more vile than I expected and we began the walk to the table where my destiny to a life without trouble with Father sat.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"Kim, what is that?" Monique asked me, pointing to my food with her fork. She had speared some of her Greek salad with it. I wish I had time to pack a lunch every day, as opposed to being subjected to torturous cafeteria food.

"I think its meatloaf?" I said, prodding the lump with my own fork.

"Then what's that green part?" She asked.

"I don't think I want to know." I laughed. Monique giggled and started to choke on a cherry tomato. She took a swig of her soda and it stopped.

"Girl, when was the last time we went shopping? Club Banana misses you."

"I doubt the cashier girl would even recognize me if I went into buy something."

"That is a bad point to reach Kim." She told me. We used to make a daily visit to your favorite store, even before we worked there. I turned around to see Ron approaching the table.

"Hey Ron." I said. But then someone emerged from behind Ron. I didn't recognize him at all, he must have been new. He was a head taller than Ron with dark brown hair and tan skin. I could see his muscles from beneath his long sleeved green striped blue shirt. His eyes were very dark and I felt my heart flutter.

"Hi." I managed to say. Our eyes made contact and I slapped Monique beneath the table.

"Pull up a chair Eric, why don't you join us?" Ron said, preparing to sit next to me, but Eric quickly slipped into the seat. "Actually that's my chair… Not that my name's on it but…" Ron said. I didn't really hear him though. There was a slight roaring in my ears and I felt my face grow hot.

"Hey, Eric." He said, pointing to himself. "How you doing?" He said. Eric? What a name, I thought.

"Girl, I went from so, to woah!" Monique said. I knew exactly what she meant. He made the hairs on my neck stand up in goosebumps.

"Huh?" Eric asked.

"It takes a while to learn Monique speak." I said

"How about you?" He asked. What? That didn't make sense. I didn't care.

"What about me?" I asked. We leaned in to each other. I could see his dark eyes, they were so close. Then abrublty Ron pushed a chair between Eric and I. He was laughing nervously. He plopped himself down between us, and I couldn't help but send a hurt look to Eric.

"Yeah, Kim is such a kidder. Did I mention we've known eachother since Pre-K?" Ron said. What was he doing? "Good times… Good times!" Ron burst. He turned to me and smiled, trying to touch my shoulder, but he knocked over his soda and it went all over the table. Eric and I exchanged a look, and I forgot Ron was even there.

"I feel as though a loop has just been formed, and I'm not in it." Ron said sadly, but I didn't hear him. I was too busy looking at those dark eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sweat was dripping down my forehead like a summer storm. I kicked harder than the last time. My foot made contact with my target— hard. The target recoiled from my hit so I spun around to blindside it's movement with a jab with my right first. It flailed about from my blow before coming back to fight me. I hit the floor, nearly missing the swing. I have to win, have to fight, I thought. I jumped back up with quickness my Father would have been proud of. The target slowed down as I got back up. I surprised it with a right hook then a left. I dodged to the side and landed a roundhouse kick to the target's backside. By now I was panting and the sweat was soaking through my shirt.

"Not bad Boy Toy." I heard a sultry voice say. I spun quickly, resuming a low crotch stance, ready to defend myself. Shego slunk from the shadowed recess of my training room, spinning my house key around her finger. As soon as I saw it was her I relaxed my tired body.

"What are you doing here Shego?" I asked, grabbing a towel from a nearby bench. I mopped it across my brow and my neck.

"What? Can't a girl just stop in?" She asked, walking toward me. Her jumpsuit reflected the light from above onto her inky black hair.

"No. Especially not you." I said coldly. This was supposed to be my mission.

"Not even Kimmie cub? That's a little cold for your girlfriend." She purred coolly.

"She is a mission, a target. That's all." I said, taking a step backward.

"Are you sure Eric? I mean she's so pretty isn't she?" She breathed, batting her lashes.

"What do you want from me Shego?" I growled. This was a gross miscalculation of my control of my temper. If she thought she could barge into my first home away from the lairs and mock me, she was going to get a taste of me, even if she was Father's favorite crony. She cackled, amused by my anger.

"Drakken was wondering how your first day of school went. Was nap-time fun?" She said. Why didn't Father stop by himself? Didn't he want to speak to me? My fist coiled behind my back, stretching my muscles and turning my knuckles white.

"I met Kim Possible, if that's what you want to know. Where is Father?"

"Oh, Daddy is busy Eric. He was just so devastated he couldn't make it." She laughed, sinking back into the shadows. Then she vanished. I let out an animal-like roar and hit the punching bag I had been training with. It shook dangerously before the chain snapped and it fell to the floor. The air echoed with the loud thud before the silence sank into my house again.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"Four nacos, two quesoritos and a tortada salad." I said, staring gloomily at the Beuno Nacho counter. Rufus nudged his way out of my pocket and whimpered. "Oh, and you know, extra cheese on that." I added.

"Seven –fifty- two Ron." Ned said. I still couldn't accept the fact that Naco Night was gone. That was my legacy here. I invented something for everyone and I made it into a bargain night. Sure, my debt was paid with royalties. But now I had to fork up an extra three dollars each time I ordered my regular. This hardly seemed fair. But I was in too much shock and pain to care about the money right now. Maybe the first few times I forked up the extra cash it had stung but I was just a little too numb. I pulled out the money and waited for my food.

"Here you go Ron. Why the long face?" Ned asked, handing me a tray full of food. His clip on tie was stained with Diablo sauce.

"Uh, stomach ache. Just hungry." I mumbled. I didn't really want to discuss this with Ned. The only person I could even think about talking about this with was Kim… and that wasn't going to happen. Sure, only five hours ago I was saying Kim and I were just friends… but now? Now I was confused. I took my tray and meandered to my usual booth. I sat down and placed Rufus on the table. Digging into my first naco was a little comforting. But it didn't help what was really bothering me. My new friend Eric sparked something in Kim I had never seen, and I did not like it. Her green eyes brightened, and her smile was wider than I had ever witnessed. I felt sad about it and I didn't know why. Kim had dated boys, sure, but that never lasted. She didn't have solid boyfriends, which comforted me in the past. I always felt jealous of the few flings KP had, but I always thought that was just about our time as friends. But what I felt when Kim and Eric were together at lunch? That made me think maybe I wasn't just jealous as a friend. Kim and I had been through so much together and I knew her so well. Well enough to know that this thing with Eric wouldn't be a couple weekends worth of girly obsession. I could tell from her eyes that this was going to be worse than Josh Mankey. If I knew her so well, why couldn't I decide if I liked her? I groaned and took an angry bite of my quesorito.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"MOM!" I screamed. I trudged down stairs in my pink pajamas. She was seated at the kitchen table sipping coffee and reading Scientific American.

"What's wrong Kim?" She asked, looking up from an article in surprise.

"I have nothing to wear!" I exclaimed. Jim and Tim came around the corner into the kitchen laughing.

"I don't have anything to wear! Mom! Wah!" They mocked. They sat down at the table and began to pour bowls of cereal.

"Shut up tweebs!" I growled. "Mom! There is like nothing in my closet!"

"Honey I'm sure that's not true." She said, taking another sip of her coffee. "This needs more cream." She said. Then Dad strolled in whistling.

"More cream?" He said. He opened the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of cream.

"Thanks sweetheart." Mom said.

"Hello? I need clothes!"

"Kimmie cub didn't you just go shopping with Monique?" Dad said. He kissed Mom on her cheek and put a muffin from the counter on his plate.

"Like a month ago!" I yelped.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a boy would it Kimmie?" Mom asked.

"Kim likes a boy!" The tweebs started to sing. I let out a loud annoyed groan and ran back upstairs.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"I positively hate this." I said. Three men were swarming around me.

"The doctor said one of the most important things in high school is clothing." One of Father's analysts said while holding up a color sample to my cheeks. I swatted at his hands.

"Well as true as that may be, I can dress myself!" I said. My room was stark and colorless, save for the racks upon racks of clothing the men had brought in. I spun my desk chair around and sat down, crossing my arms over my chest.

"We were trained in the study of teenage dress." Another analyst said. He started to flip through one of the racks. He pulled out a paisley shirt, studied the sleeves and threw it in a pile in the corner.

"Why look, if it isn't the new kid in school." I heard. I spun my chair to face the door to my room.

"Father!" I said, jumping up from the chair. I went to hug him but he gingerly put up his hand to stop me. I stepped back, embarrassed.

"Any luck with the wardrobe?" Father asked, scanning the growing pile of rejects.

"We have decided his 'color' is blue." The third analyst said, reviewing his notes on a clipboard.

"Good, good. That is solid, stick with that. Do we have enough Le' Goop?" Father asked.

"Yes Doctor. The second shipment just arrived from Paris."

"Ah, perfect." Father said. He picked up a can of Le' Goop and inspected the label. He twisted the flat lid off and scooped a dab onto his glove and smelled it.

"Thirty minutes before the first bell rings." One of the analysts said while submersed in one of the racks. He sneezed, hitting his head against the hanging rod.

"Dress him." Father said, closing the door behind him. I stared at the wooden frame until I realized the analysts were looking at me.

"You heard him! This has taken too long. Pick something out and go on with your pathetic existences." I snapped and stormed out of the room to get in a quick work out… I had to hit something.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"How do I look?" I said. I smoothed my skirt and straightened my blouse. I didn't have anything to wear! What if he sees me like this, I thought. I bet I look horrible and my mirror lied to me.

"Spin." Monique instructed, twirling her finger. I spun and did my cheerleading leg pop at the end. My black skirt twirled around me like I was dancing. I picked a small piece of lint of my turquoise tank top waiting for her judgment. She kept eyeing the outfit. I fiddled with my black choker in anticipation. Monique opened her mouth then closed it. Pointed her finger at me, then put it to her chin. She looked to be hard in thought.

"Love it!" She squealed. I sighed in relief.

"Morning ladies." Ron said as he walked up to us.

"I am so glad you think so, I mean it took me forever to decide. Hi Ron!" I said, inspecting the skirt.

"Decide about what?" Ron asked. He took Rufus out of his pocket and set him on his shoulder.

"Kim's outfit." Monique said.

"Yeah, Monique loves it. You like?" I said, twirling again. Rufus nodded his head eagerly.

"What? Oh um yeah, it's fine… good." Ron said quickly. He coughed into his hand and looked around anxiously.

"You okay Ron?" I asked.

"Yeah, fine. Fine." He said, nodding. Rufus scurried up to feel his forehead. I opened my locker to print out my homework. Monique tried to fix a bad part in Ron's hair but he moved away quickly.

"Ron! Just let me…" She started. I laughed and resumed printing out my chemistry paper. After a series of familiar beeps Wade's face popped up on the screen in my locker.

"What's up Wade?"

"I was watching the video feeds from the Bermuda Triangle and I remembered I have an experimental lip reading program!"

"Wade, that's great! So what are they saying?" I said.

"I added a text overlay to the video feed so you can read it as they say it but it gets a little loopy near the end." He said. Suddenly the screen turned dark and the grainy black and white video started to play. I could make out Drakken and a large man sitting across from each other. Their lips started to move and text started to form on the screen.

I have the cash. Do you have the information?

Put the money on the table.

Put the information on the table.

You go first.

Look I don't have time for silly games.

The man snapped his fingers and Drakken was thrown out by a man that was off camera before. Drakken reentered a short time later. The two put down their items. Drakken slid a wad of cash forth, and the big man put a slip of paper on the table.

Aha! Now with this top secret code… Milk, bread, eggs? What kind of code is that?

My grocery list. You are quite poor at the trading game.

Shego!

Very well. I've had my fun.

Well I'm glad you've had your fun. Now where can I find the cybertronic technology I need?

Ah, cybertronics. Some of the most brilliant minds on the planet struggle with its challenges.

Well surely someone has cracket.

"See? The last bits of the video didn't go into the program right. The files were corrupted somehow." Wade's voice said over the video.

Indeed. Sun genus tas dome gust bat. Proctor Aimes Bimomthy Pausable.

The video screen went black for a second then it returned to Wade's face.

"Is there any way you can rework the program to get those last couple words?" I asked.

"Nope. The system doesn't accept the last video."

"Drat. Well could you hack into a technology forum to see who does work with cybertronics?" I asked.

"You think it's easy to hack into NASA forums? There would be thousands of firewalls and Trojan horses and easter egg information, not to mention dead ends and Hacker Whackers."

"Hacker Whackers?"

"They are these search agent programs that find people in the system who aren't supposed to be and they find your ip address and arrest you!" He explained. I gave him a suspicious look. "Okay, maybe that's an urban legend, but I wouldn't put it past NASA." I looked at the camera and unleashed the full force. "Kim no! Not the puppy dog pout!" I looked straight at the camera and didn't stop. "Fine. But this might take a while."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I could see her slim figure from twenty feet down the hall. She did look good. Her black skirt looked nice, and her turquoise top looked even better. I bet she didn't need minions to dress her. I looked down to my outfit. Now that I had met her, the analysts had decided to 'class up my style'. I had on a new navy blue Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater and dark Diesel jeans. To add to the receipt I had a new Rolex watch and new Italian shoes. Father knew the priorities in the mission. I bet that my outfit alone outweighed Target Number One's savings since birth. I stayed behind my locker door as I watched her. She spun around for Monique, and then Target Number Two when he walked into the discussion. Then she turned to her locker. What was she doing? She was talking to it. Father never told me my target had mental health issues… I quietly closed my locker and slowly walked toward her. As I changed my angle I saw there was a computer in her locker. Well at least she wasn't crazy. Ron and Monique seemed to be quarrelling, so they didn't even see me looking over Kim's shoulder from ten feet away. I could see a bad quality video of what looked like Father and a fat man. The video played on and a voice from the computer talked to Kim. Father always guessed Target Number One had outside sources other than Target Number Two. I dared to walk closer to get a better look. I could hear her words, something about cybertronics. This was bad news, it meant Kim Possible was getting closer to unraveling Father's plan, and I could not have that. I made a side glance towards the bickering sidekicks, self assured I could tactically remove Target Number One without them noticing until it was too late. I was sure Father would understand the mission was rendered useless if Kim found out exactly what he was planning. From this close to her I could see the boy she was communicating with. Fat, dark skinned, young. He couldn't be more than twelve. They talked of advanced computer procedures. This child was a boy genius. I heard them talking about the undiscovered. I eased my stance. If they didn't know anything yet a tactical extraction was not necessary. I slowly backed away from the group, somehow unnoticed, and ready to make a real entrance.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"AGH!" I yelled as Monique pounced at me. I held her wrists but her hands were still trying to straighten my hair.

"Ron, just let Monique do her thing." Monique said, her voice full of sass. I turned to Kim to try to get her to help me but she was doing something on her computer. Maybe it was about the mission, I shouldn't interrupt.

"The Ron Factor doesn't need your thing, then it would be the Monique Factor!" I told her, dodging her arms and backing up.

"Boy, are you still going on about that?" She asked. Her thin hands weaved between mine, trying to fix something.

"The Ron Factor never goes away. It's fueled by my Ronness. What's wrong with my hair?" I asked, reaching up to my head.

"Well I just wanted to fix that cowlick." She said, stopping her assault. She looked at her nails and back at me. I panicked.

"COWLICK?" I yelped, my hands flying up to my hair. This was not happening again. I rushed over to Kim's locker where I know she hung a mirror. When I saw my hair, it laid down flat like normal. I smoothed out my blond hairs just in case and looked back to Monique. She started to laugh and I heaved a sigh. I turned back to the mirror and saw a figure turning away. It looked like Eric… and it looked like he had been very close. I spun around to see him quickly turn a corner in the hallway and disappear.

"Was that…" I trailed off.

"Was that what?" Kim asked, now that she was done talking to Wade. She turned to face me, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing…" I said. Suddenly I felt Monique's hands grasp my head and with a quick ruffle she 'fixed' my hair.

"How about that Monique Factor?" She laughed. I sighed and smiled, glad that Kim was smiling along with me.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

Ron, Monique and I walked down the busy hall to our first hours. I looked down at my outfit and couldn't help but sigh. I tried so hard and I would probably not even see him today. What an idiot, I thought to myself.

"What's wrong Kim?" Monique asked me. Ron turned to look at me as we continued to walk. Rufus scurried out of Ron's pocket and sat on his shoulder, looking up at me. I reached over to pet is head.

"Oh, well I was just thinking." I said. We began to turn a corner in the hall. I turned to face Monique. "I probably won't even see him to-" Suddenly I ran right into someone as we turned the corner. As I was stumbling backwards Ron caught my wrist. I took my hand from his and looked down to see either of us I had dropped anything. "I am so sorry!" I blurted, looking up to the person I had run into.

"Won't even see who?" Eric asked. I looked up to see his smiling face. I smiled right up at him before I realized he had asked a question.

"Nobody." I sighed dreamily. I forgot what power his dark eye's held in transfixing me.

"You look nice Kim." Eric said looking up from my skirt to my eyes. I blushed.

"Thanks, you know, I just threw some stuff on." I said nonchalantly, cracking a broad smile.

"Can I walk you to class?" Eric asked.

"Sure." I said. "I'll talk to you later guys later." I said, waving to Ron and Monique. They looked after me as Eric and I walked farther away. Monique was smiling, Ron wasn't.

"You look like you've had a rough morning." Eric said to me.

"You know, when you mix Suburbia with evil doers things get a little complicated."

"So it's true, you really do fight bad guys."

"And natural disasters." I added. The bell rang over our heads and I realized I had reached my class.

"Why don't you tell me more about it at lunch?" He asked.

"Okay." I said. He opened the door and said goodbye. As I turned into the classroom my smile was too big to even hide it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So who is this Dragon guy?" Eric asked. He and I were seated at our table during lunch. He was pushing around Tuesday Tuna Surprise and I was eating homemade pasta.

"Drakken." I corrected. I gestured at him with a forkful of pasta. He took the opportunity to eat the pasta right off my plastic utensil. "Hey!" I giggled.

"What does he want?" Eric asked. The cafeteria was full of students pouring in from classes. Bonnie and Brick walked by Eric and I. Her tray had celery, his had a protein shake and three sandwiches.

"Other than complete power of the world? He wants to destroy me." I told Eric.

"That's not cool. I bet he would like you if he got to know you." Eric said.

"I don't think so. But Shego has some really nice brothers."

"I hate her." Eric muttered.

"What?" I asked. I took another big bite of my pasta.

"Oh, I just mean I hate what I have heard of her."

"I didn't think I had told you about her yet." I noted.

"Ron told me." He explained.

"What about the Ron?" Ron asked from across the table.

"Nothing." Eric and I said at the same time. I pointed another forkful of pasta in his face.

"JYNX!" I said. He smirked and ate my pasta again.

"Fine Eric, but you owe me a soda." I mocked.

"How about I hold to that after school?" He said.

"What?"

"I want to buy you that soda. I found this cool old fashion soda fountain place a town over, I was wondering if you would want to go there with me after school." Eric said coolly.

"KP and I always go to Beuno Nacho after school. Right KP?" Ron said defensively. Had he been listening to our entire conversation?

"Actually Ron, I think I want to check this soda fountain place out." I explained.

"If this is because you can't keep on fronting me the extra money for my Naco Night order I get it! Don't worry KP I've gotten like five more signatures on the petition to bring back Naco Night!" Ron exclaimed.

"No Ron, it's not that." I said.

"Oh, okay…" Ron said quietly. He looked down to his lunch, pushing the slop around with his plastic fork.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"What's the sitch Wade?" I said.

"It's not good Kim." Wade said through the computer in my locker.

"How not good?" I asked.

"Bad." Wade whispered. I looked around the hallway, but the halls had emptied since the dismissal bell. I did a double take around the corners.

"What's wrong?"

"NASA. They shut me out!" Wade exclaimed. I shook my head.

"Wade! What happened?"

"I said it would take a while to hack into their servers but this was like nothing I have ever seen. My systems almost crashed just working on the first initial log in sequence. The data compressed in that network must be huge. I am talking digital plans and name databases and research notes and double backups."

"English please Wade."

"I couldn't get in."

"Wade!" I shouted. My voice rang in the empty halls. I looked around to see if anyone had heard me.

"Sorry Kim! This isn't as easy a love ray."

"So cybertronics is a dead end?" I asked.

"I wouldn't go that far. I can still browse the online web for something non- classified. Can you guess at what Drakken is planning?" Wade said, beginning to type on his keyboard.

"I don't know… A Japanese toy design and some kind of classified NASA program. I'm stumped." I said, inspecting my shoes. This was not like me. I felt myself slipping away from the case. What if I couldn't crack it in time? There was something not beuno about this plan, but I couldn't put a finger on it.

"Nothing at all? Kim that's not like-" Wade started.

"I know!" I snapped. His face on the video screen looked a little confused and a little more hurt.

"Sorry Wade." I said. "I will talk to you later." I sighed. He nodded and cut the video feed. I closed my locker and looked around the ghostly hallway. I shook my head, trying to get that feeling of uneasiness out of my system. I bet that being with Eric would fix it.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"So what town is this place in?" Kim asked. Her red hair covered most of her face except for her ivory skin and one green eye. I had trouble believing this girl couldn't woo someone in the school. But I supposed it was too late for that, I had her in my clutch now.

"Upperton." I said as we walked out of the school, side by side. The sun outside shown bright and the sky was the clearest I had seen it in my short time in Middleton. We walked to my motorcycle in silence until I stopped in front of it.

"You have the Ninja SX09110? They only sell this is Japan!" Kim exclaimed, taking a closer look at my wheels.

"You like bikes?" I asked. Girls were not supposed to have knowledge of mechanical things. At least, that was what my studies had told me, but then again Target Number One was the only female I had ever met besides Shego. And from what Father told me, Kim was not normal, not at all.

"My friend Hirotaka had one in lime green. Except he had the wide hood and a larger tank cover." Kim said.

"Wow. Impressive smarts Kim." I said. Fluffing and ego was a quick way to affection.

"No big." Kim giggled. We stood there for a moment. Her emerald eyes hooked onto mine. I suddenly felt off balance. I was the suitor, not her.

"Well… are we going?" I asked. She smiled up at me and nodded. I mounted the bike and handed her my helmet. She got on the bike.

"You only have one helmet?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I figure if anything happened to you, I wouldn't want to live." I said slowly. I heard something like that in the romantic movies Father made me watch for days on end. She sucked in a breath and cocked her head, spinning the helmet in her head.

"I can take care of myself." She finally said. Her eyes locked onto mine and I felt every hair on the back of my neck go pin straight. I saw something in her then. Something not normal at all. Something strong and powerful. Something I would not have expected to see in a teenage girl. I gulped.

"Humor me Kim." I said. I dismounted the bike and took the helmet from her hands. Pushing her red hair behind her ear, I placed the helmet softly on her head. Before her eyes latched onto me again, I snapped the visor shut. We got on the bike in silence. I reached back and took her hands. I gently placed them on my hip and she gingerly let them stay there. I turned to the parking lot, and within seconds we were flying away from the school. My engine's roar ripped the air between us and I felt a loss of breath I could not blame on the speed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The ice cream shop was modeled after a 50's ice cream parlor. The flooring was black and white checkered. The seats in the booths and on the bar stools were red vinyl. It was basically just a counter stretching the length of the room, and booths at the windows facing the street. Girls in pink poodle skirts flitted around in roller skates serving milk shakes, ice cream floats and fountain soda. Eric and I chose to sit in a far back booth. I sat across from him and we looked over our menus. I silently wished to myself that they had French fries so I could dip them in my milkshake. Ever since my disaster of a date with Josh Mankey, dipping a salty warm fry into my cold sweet milkshake was comforting. It sort of reminded me of a fun time, even though I didn't like Josh any more. But Eric would think I was a freak if I even mentioned it. We looked at each other briefly and smiled behind our menus.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"Gosh, I was hoping they would have French fries." I said, trying to sound absent minded. I didn't look up from my menu of desserts. I waited for her reaction. I snuck a peek to see her shocked face.

"Why?" She asked, trying to hide curiosity. I smirked, hiding it with my menu.

"I know this sounds weird, but I… I like to dip them in my milkshakes." I said, acting bashful. I had recovered this bit of information on a re-con assignment before my move to Middleton. I was told to find out as much as I could while improving social skills.

-FLASHBACK-

"Joshua Mankey?" I asked. I had followed this boy to the mall. He was listed in the recon logs as a past boyfriend of Kim Possible. The blond teenager looked up. His face registered concentration.

"Do I know you?" He asked. He let the pair of slacks in his hands fall back onto the shelf. I closed the space between us.

"No." I said. Club Banana was almost empty. We were near the back of the store, and I had my story all planned out.

"Then how-" Josh started. I cut him off.

"It's your father. He's been in an accident." I said slyly. I gauged his fear in his eyes.

"What-" He started again. I would prefer if this boy would not talk so I could say what was needed to be said.

"He is going to be alright. He requested the ambulance stop by here to pick you up so you could be with him after the operation."

"Operation?" The boy asked in fear. I shook my head.

"Follow me." I said. I started to walk out of the store, and then out of the mall. He followed like a starved puppy after food, helpless. We arrived in the parking lot, and he started to run toward the ambulance I had requested be driven to the lot. I jogged to keep up with him. He was no match in physical endurance to me. We reached the borrowed vehicle and he swung the heavy doors open.

"Dad?" He asked. I pushed him in and closed the door behind us.

"DRIVE." I commanded the henchmen in the front seat. Josh struggled to stand up so I grabbed his neck and activated several pressure points at precise times to render him unconscious. His body slumped over like a sack of flour. I strapped him into the brain tap machine wired to the ambulance floor. I connected the helmet and the electrode pads to his temples. I booted the machine up. Josh started to stir. I activated the machine and fixed a video camera to record his face.

"Tell me everything you know about Kim Possible." I said clearly. I wish that this machine could command more than information, but the process of action requires much more force in direction than thought. Joshua opened his mouth and the intel flowed out.

-UNFLASHBACK-

*-*0o0o0o*-*

Did he really just say that? Really? No possible way. Maybe it was a guy thing. Maybe all cute guys eat gross food combonations.

"What did you just say?" I spit out. Eric put his menu down.

"It's really weird, isn't it?" He asked, obviously embarrassed. I immediately felt bad.

"No, Eric, it's not like that! It's not weird. I do that too!" I said quickly. His face turned from sadness.

"Really?" He asked. I nodded happily. "That's so…" He said.

"So what?"

"So perfect." He said in a low tone. I felt my cheeks blush deeply. I bit my lip as we looked into each other's eyes.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

She was eating out of my hands. This was too easy. Throw out similarities, use my boyish charm and say sickly sentimental things, and you have Kim Possible's heart. One thing was difficult though. Staring into her eyes was obviously effective in pulling her in, but once I started, it was hard to stop. I felt so drawn in. I couldn't even begin to guess why. A waitress stopped by our table and cleared her throat. She turned to me.

"What can I get you?" She asked. Her eyes trailed down my neck, below the table and back up. I saw this as an opportunity to speak to Kim's psyche. I turned my eyes to Kim's face and spoke, without looking away.

"French fries." I said, smiling whimsically. Kim laughed and I laughed a little louder. This caught the waitress off guard. She seemed to struggle for words explaining they didn't have that there. The girl was attractive, to a normal boy I suppose. But I was not a regular teenager, and I had a mission to stick to. I looked at my menu for the last time and ordered the root beer float. Kim ordered a marshmallow milkshake. While we sat in the quaint place I found it so easy to pick up small talk with her I fell into a memory of the day I brain tapped Josh Mankey.

-FLASHBACK-

I stepped onto the shuttle that would take me to the hidden island layer's access port. It sped above the streets of downtown Middleton. The streets were not as populated as Metro City, but the people still ran around the same way. Off to something meaningless. Everything compared to the life I led was meaningless. No one had the thoughts I had, and I knew that. Father made me different, because he knew how painful mediocrity was. The shuttle took me to edge of the city, and I replayed the events of the semi- abduction of Joshua Mankey. He gave me valuable information on Target Number One. I felt the pocket in my white oxford to know that I still had the tape of his interrogation. This Kim Possible seemed painfully mediocre. But I couldn't let assumptions get in the way of my mission. I would underestimate her. Josh said she liked to put marshmallows on her hot dogs. I found that disgusting. I was accustomed to fine dining, so even the stew of mystery meats in a hot dog sounded revolting.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I awoke from my day dream memory to find myself in idle conversation with Kim. I was suddenly confused. Kim liked marshmallows on her hot dogs, not fries in her shake. I swear I had watched that tape of Josh under the power of the brain tap hundreds of time, absorbing the tone he talked about her in, the stipulations, the facts, the feelings, how he regarded her then and now. How did that minor yet crucial detail slip my mind? It was the boy who had revealed a secret about the French fries. I had already acted on wrong information… but she accepted it? Why? Did she feel bad due to my faked embarrassment? From what Father had told me of her night with Josh she was no stranger to it. Had Target Number One just shown empathy to me? By making me feel more comfortable with my supposed weird food combination?

"Yeah the winter here is really nice, the Middleton Park has this perfect sledding hill." She was saying.

"You don't like milkshakes with fries." I blurted out. I suddenly went stiff. I was not meant to say that aloud but with her talking it was difficult to stay in control, I had forgotten I was with her. She looked so confused.

"What?" She asked, putting down her milkshake.

"I… I um… I. What I meant was that…" I tried to think of something that would make sense, but nothing did. If she found out about my brain tap on Josh Mankey, she would find out about Father's involvement, and she would foil him like so many times before.

"You're right." She said. "Well… half right. An ex introduced me to it. But I do like it now." She said. "But how…" She explained.

"You are really pretty Kim." I blurted, desperately trying to cover my tracks. She stopped suddenly, blushed, said a quiet thank you and didn't look away from her milkshake. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I would need to be more suave in the future…

*-*0o0o0o*-*

Eric had really thrown me off balance. How had he known that I didn't think of French fries with milkshakes? I had an off edge feeling about the last minutes of our conversation. First I wasn't sure he was really listening, more like a robot, managing to nod his head and agree to some of my words. And then like a light switch he turned real again and said such an odd thing. This was followed by calling me pretty which stopped me in my tracks. I took small bites of the milkshake in silence until we were both done with our desserts. Eric quietly paid the bill and we left without a word. Eric put his helmet on my head, even slower than before, but he looked away after my eyes past the visor slot. He got on the bike and I followed his example. We rode for a length of time before I realized I had to speak.

"Eric." I said over the wind and the helmet. He didn't respond. "Eric!" I yelled.

"What?" He snapped. I recoiled a little. What did he have to be mad about?

"You have to take me home." I said, returning his snarky tone of voice. This was ridiculous. He had no right to be upset with me. He had been so random and off. He can't just fix this with 'You're pretty.' That does not work. The snap seemed to break something inside me. I felt his body tighten like he was upset, and I pointed my toes as if I was free falling, ready to hit the water. I felt the urge to break him. This was not right, not at all.

"Right." He said, taken aback by my words. I directed him where to go, following the back streets to my house. He missed my house so we had to turn around. He pulled into my drive way. I had been having such fun until the last parts… I had to admit the date went a little smoother than the one I had with Josh. Was this really a date, I thought. It was just ice cream after all. Ron and I did that all the time. A kiss would make it a date, after all, Josh had kissed me after our date…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

How could I be so stupid? I felt like punching a thousand things, putting my fist through a wall. You ruined it you moron, I mentally screamed at myself. Now we weren't even talking. I was no girl expert but I knew that that was not a good sign. I had failed, and now Father was going to punish me. I expected something far worse than anything I had ever received. I was calling myself profane names when Kim broke the eternity of silence. She yelled my name over the roaring wind. I snapped a short 'What?' at her, and mentally kicked myself for digging a deeper grave.

"You have to take me home."

"Right." I managed. Had I not been driving my eyes would have shut in fury at myself. My hands clenched the handlebars like I was dangling from them over a ravine. I slowed the bike so we were cruising on the residential streets, but I kept my death grip.

"Left on Sycamore, up here." She said as we neared her house, but she didn't know I knew where she lived. I passed her home on purpose. She never told me to stop or pull in.

"You missed it." She said dryly. I turned the bike around and started back up Sycamore slowly. "Here. This one." I slowed to a stop right in her driveway. She quickly dismounted the bike and threw my helmet at me. She started to storm towards her front door.

"Kim, wait!" I shouted, running up to her. Think Eric, think. Save this. Save this date or it's a world of pain. She turned on her heel to look at me. I read her body language, and it shouted "I hate you! I hate you!"

"First off, I'm sorry. I acted childish and-"

"Weird." Kim finished my sentence.

"Yes. But it's just… you drive me crazy." I said. That wasn't a lie. I was crazy for her, crazy for her demise that is.

"Thanks a lot." She said icily. I backtracked.

"No. Kim I know we just met… but… it's like I'm not myself around you. I lose my balance about myself when I see you. It's like… like something is not right." I said slowly, struggling to keep contact with her eyes. Maybe if I practiced going into her gaze I would get better at not falling in. I saw something of the mumbo jumbo I spurted out click in her head.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"It's like… like something is not right." Eric said. There he was again, reaching into my head and finding exactly what to say. He had the sense of something off between us.

"And it scares me Kim. You scare me. I was being such an idiot back there, and by the time I realized I had lost myself in you… it was too late. And I was angry at myself. I was not mad at you. How could I be? I thought you thought I was being a freak… "

"Eric…" I started. I had nothing left to say but I felt like I should.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

"Eric." She said to me. She shouldn't stop me now. I was getting good at this bullshit. Maybe I could write romance novels in my spare time while I work for Father. Ha. That's a laugh.

"What you do to me seems bad at first. I feel like I need to just run away… but… I can't. Do you understand? I can't run from you." I said in what I imagined sounded dreamy. Kim closed her eyes for a long time. I could hear her soft breaths as she thought. She opened her eyes but they didn't focus until the last possible second, when they scorched into mine. Her cherry lips breathed one word.

"Okay." She said so softly I barely heard it. Then she ran up to her door and cart wheeled in. I suddenly felt myself gasp for air. I took a minute to steady myself and left… with a day of information to review.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Author's Note:

So as some of you know this is MY version of the story, I take no interest in just dictating the movie. So this chapter makes Eric… not what most of you expect. I will further explain after the chapter is over, which might be overkill because I think I did an okay job of describing it. This is a change I needed to make to actually move on with the story. Feel free to express opinions, positive or negative. But whatever you do, don't let this effect your subscription of Bits of Fire.

I held the phone in my hands, looking at it like a bomb. Who do I call? Someone has to be able to explain this to me. If it was not about boys, it would be Ron. If I was not afraid of the truth, I would call Monique. If it was not about anything slightly scary or at all personal, it would be my mother. But this was about a scary boy, who had said some personal things, and I was afraid to know what they honestly meant. I took the phone and mimicked throwing it the entire wall. I sighed and put it back on the dock and flopped down on my bed. His words replayed in my head like a catchy song off of the radio. Something is not right. He wants to run, but can't. Isn't that exactly how I had been feeling? How did he keep on doing this? My mind was not an open book. Maybe it was just… us. An electric magnetic repulsion we cannot avoid… something we just had to resist. Like those epic love stories I watch on cable when the tweebs go to a friend's house. I know I wanted a boyfriend… but was this going to be too much? I groaned, not even knowing where this would go, and rolled over.

*-*0o0o0o*-*

The doors opened with a rush of cold air as I entered Father's laboratory. What that childish Kim Possible did not know was that Father was a much as a mad doctor as a thief. He just chose to spend most free time stealing. I saw Father hunched over a lab table, scribbling equations. I strolled through, admiring his experiments. Cages filled with rodents on certain hormones and drugs, computers running algorithms. I walked over to the door at the far end of the large room. Father did not even look up from his calculations. This portal had a key pad. I punched in my code and the door slid open. This room was a wide hallway. It was long and eventually curved in an enormous circle. The inside wall was glass paneling divided between different rooms. They were like huge cages for Father's larger experiments. The ceiling was made of steel a-frame beams, and the concrete walls kept the hallway colder than father's previous lab. The first experiment was a giant octopus in a glass tank a tad too small. The scientist studying it carried a dart gun and a cattle prod on his belt. The last scientist had been… a causality to the experimental beast. I walked farther down the hall. I passed a few rays father had constructed, and even more he had stolen and enhanced. I chuckled at the newly patched plexi glass. I could see where they had fused a new circle of glass into a hole one of the rays had produced. I didn't bother looking at the torture room; I doubted it would be enough to cheer me up at the moment. I stopped in front of my least favorite room. This giant cage was filled with modern furniture and stuffed animals. The multiple televisions and computer monitors played loops of music videos, celebrity gossip shows and teenage girl articles. Magazines cluttered the floor, and posters adorned the usually stark walls. Father's scientists, several I recognized from my house, were reading and watching, some comparing outfits and studying shoes with extreme interest. I made a face of disgust and pressed the intercom button. I heard something I sadly recognized as the 'Oh!Boyz' newest single and the chatter of the men.

"Anything new to report Doctor?" I asked. A man lounging on a futon placed in the middle of the room looked up from his CosmoGirl magazine.

"Hey! Eri-eri-er-eri-eric!" The man said, gesturing as if he was scratching a vinyl record. I sighed.

"Hello Reynolds." I said in a monotone.

"How's the bomb diggity doctor?" he asked. Another man approached the glass.

"You guys talking about Doctor D diggity dog?" he said. I groaned.

"Yes Stevens."

"You know, it seems like he doesn't care about me anymore." Steven said, sounding distant and upset.

"Stevens. Calm down. I need a status update. I need more information on how to lure Target Number One."

"Well girls are into the dark mysterious studs. If he talks too much, he is out. Girls want tough guys right now. They are h-o-t hot!" Steven giggled. I shook my head in shame, turned off the intercom. I suppose I would have to stop 'baring my soul' to Kim. Maybe that would work better than embarrassing myself. I kept walking to the next room. This room had a series of large computers and large cylindrical glass tank on its side supported by curved steel bars screwed to the floor. Monitors were mounted in the glass and the tank was connected to a large vat by an accordion tube. I opened a steel manual door on the beams separating the rooms to enter the cage. I shut the door softly. The lights were off, meaning the only light I could see by was the lights circling the tank, and the faint standby blackness of the computers. Tracing my fingers against the enormous glass tube, I felt warmth. Everything in this room was cold, except for the heated glass. I placed my palm against the glass and closed my eyes. My eyes closed and my body absorbed the wonderful heat. I tried to remember what I could about this tank. I had awoken when I was five, taught to read and write and speak and think when I was hibernating, sort of like subliminal messages. I cannot remember learning but I can read and write exceptionally. The fluid I had been sleeping in was so warm, it was what I would compare now to freshly laundered sheets and blankets after you wake up. My eyes opened for the first time to see Father, looking in on me. He had taken off his glove and placed his hand against the glass. I turned and while navigating wires attached to my brain and abdomen, placed my small hand on the inside, right in Father's.

"I could have done better." Father said quietly. I jumped, my eyes shooting open. I had not heard him come into my morbid nursery.

"What do you mean Father?" I asked, my hand still on the glass. I removed it, and I saw him follow it down.

"It took me five years to grow you… I had you pre-equipped with knowledge standard to a boy your age at the time, much more than a surrogate could have given me… but I wasted time. I could have been doing more. Things to prevent the even requirement of you. Usefulness depends on time, Eric." He said, gazing around the room. We had not stepped foot in here for almost eleven years. I did not speak, knowing he had more to say.

"I can do it faster now… Grow a fully grown human in drastically less time than it took to even fertilize your egg."

"But Father… why would you? Am I not enough?" I asked. He didn't respond for a moment. He raised his eyes to mine.

"Of course you are. Just a scientific note I suppose. Should I ever need another." He said, insincerity in his voice.

"But you have your henchman and your synthodrones Father. Why would you ever need another heir?" I asked.

"Heir?" Father turned to me and tilted his head.

"A successor to your enterprise."

"And why would I need that?"

"Didn't you make me… make me to continue this?" I said, motioning all around us, to the lab, the plane docks, the cat walks and the battle training rooms.

"I made you…" Father started and then stopped. "Eric I don't care what happens to the world after I die. It could burn in fire or perish in ice for all I care. As long as Dementor does not conquer it my death only brings escape from this world."

"You don't care about leaving me behind?" I asked. Father's back slumped over, showing his fatigue. Whether I or his work fatigued him I did not know.

"Eric. Stop this. You are giving me a migraine. Focus on your mission. I don't have time for this." Father said sharply. He left the room in a rush. I opened the door going into the glass chamber and crawled inside. I folded my knees to my chest and closed my eyes, remembering when Father had once reached out his hand to me.

YES, THIS DOES MEAN ERIC IS HUMAN. He is not a synthodrone, he was a test tube baby created with Doctor Drakken's sperm… Ew. Don't think about that part, it is icky. Dr. D created him in his lab, he was incubated in that tube. Pretty simple to understand right? Easy peasy lemon squeezy? Feel free to ask questions. :]

I have had this idea since the beginning, and it has been SO HARD not to be like 'Oh nuh uh girlfriend' to reviews mentioning Eric's programming. Though technically Drakken programmed Eric to read and write before he was released from the tube. And yes, you could call his upbringing near evil his programming, but I call it his upbringing.


End file.
